Wednesday, April 12, 2006

BALKANS 2.0 GRAZ-ZAGREB

25/03/2006

I did not write much about Graz in my previous entry. Well, to be fair, i did not spend too much time in Graz, which would give me fair judgement to write specifically about Graz.

From what i saw, i would say Graz is quite an old city. Located on east Austria, the city must have seen many significant historical occurances. It must be one of many places that witnessed the superiority of Ottoman's empire.

Well, Graz is famous for its Schloss (castle). Located on top of the hill, the castle allow visitors to have rather panoramic and picturesque view of the city. Next to it is the Clocktower.

I was looking for the bus station and was helped by an old lady, whom Deutsch is her only language that i can partially understand. Realising my deutsch has deteriorated cathasthropically over the past few months, i could not help myself but regretting. Our conversation was not very succesful. Anyway, she directed me towards the tourist info centre.

I managed to get to the bus station, but could not find exactly where i can find bus to Zagreb. I decided to go to the train station. It is situated slightly outside the city. I walked towards the trainstation according to map in my GuideBook, and passed by a Turkish Mosque. Since i was not sure of the train timetable, i could not spare time to stop over. I reached the train station 30 minutes before the last train to Zagreb of that day left.

City of Graz

H:2232

I safely arrived in Zagreb Glavni Kolodvor (Zagreb Train Station). The train made few previous stops, and my passport was checked by passport control of different countries for many times. The first time was when the train was crossing Austria-Slovenia border. Since it demonstrates the EU-NonEU barrier, the check was more tedious. I was asked about my luggage etc. Similarly, crossing the Croatian border, it was quite complicated too. Alhamdulillah, i was carrying my friend's address in Zagreb. Seeing that my friend lives in Ulica Pantovcak (Pantovcak St), the control did not ask me much.

I later discovered that Pantovcak is a very posh area of Zagreb, inhabited by well-off citizens and embassies.

Arriving in Zagreb, i sent a text-message (or SMS) to my friends. I was looking at the map of the city, when i heard someone calling for my name. Dubravko and Tomislav simply came and hugged me while joyously shouting and cheering at the same time. It was a rather weird undescribable moment, meeting someone you know for only 3 days, and not seeing each other again for 3 years. Dubravko later said that he was quite amazed at how quick we have become friends.

Anyway, we talked and we walked around the city. They were in the middle of something. And they took me to their friend, Fu's house. There, Fu was waiting with his girlfriend, Svetlana. She came from Sarajevo. Fu lives quite close to Pantovcak, and he has a garage which he turned into his miniature production centre. Basically, they were painting the miniatures, using each's own imagination and creativity to colour and pose those mini-statues. I later found out that the miniatures were used in a dice-game.

Later, Dubravko took me to his house in Novi Zagreb (new Zagreb). Literally i was shown to half-room for me to occupy for the next few days. No sooner than i put my head onto the pillow that i fell asleep.

5:54 O ye who believe! if any from among you turn back from his Faith, soon will Allah produce a people whom He will love as they will love Him,- lowly with the believers, mighty against the rejecters, fighting in the way of Allah, and never afraid of the reproaches of such as find fault. That is the grace of Allah, which He will bestow on whom He pleaseth. And Allah encompasseth all, and He knoweth all things.